


Three

by ThinkingCAPSLOCK



Category: Gundam SEED
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2013-06-27
Packaged: 2017-12-16 08:52:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/860269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThinkingCAPSLOCK/pseuds/ThinkingCAPSLOCK
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adjusting is a long path.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three

**Author's Note:**

> Set in a very specific Alternate Universe where upon everything I like happens and everyone I like lives in ORB post war.

The first few weeks they move in are the roughest. Shinn never leaves the house in case he might encounter Cagalli outside. Rey stays with him most of the time, opting to try and keep the other boy calm and earn his forgiveness.

Lunamaria finds herself at a loss as to what to do. She cleans the house, she unpacks boxes rhythmically. Four for the living room, two for the kitchen. She calls her parents once a week to assure them that she's doing just fine on Orb with her two friends. 

Rey helps with the cleaning and the cooking. He makes the best pasta sauce Lunamaria has ever tasted. He spends four hours teaching her how to make it before Shinn comes downstairs.

His red eyes are narrowed and have dark circles under them. His skin is pale. He picks at the skin around his fingernails.

"I'm hungry," he announces. Rey and Lunamaria exchange a glance before she pegs Shinn in the face with a leftover carrot.

It's easier after that. Rey visits doctors and scientists through the assistance of Cagalli's endless network of resources. He often returns tired, but there's a glint of something in his eyes Lunamaria knows was never there in the war. It's a different kind of hope then the one he had before.

She often finds him watching the sunset from the front windows, gazing out onto the ocean not too far away.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Lunamaria asks, standing beside him.

"I think it's one of my favourite things on Earth," Rey replies. "There's nothing that compares."

Lunamaria nods, waiting for him to go to bed. When he does, she rushes into Shinn's room and shakes the boy awake.

"Luna? What is it? What's wrong?" Shinn is frantic. He flails the one arm and smashes it into the wall. He grunts.

Lunamaria rights herself and places her hands on her hips. "We need to make Rey a window seat."

"Right now?" Shinn stares at her, his mouth slowly falling open.

"Tomorrow, you idiot! You're coming with me to the hardware store. How hard can it be?"

-

It turns out building a window seat is much more difficult than Lunamaria originally planned. After a few false starts, including the time she trapped Shinn within the seat, they had a pretty basic idea of where to go.

They sat on break, shoulder to shoulder. Lunamaria felt far too sweaty and rather out of shape. Maybe she would take a shower later and then look into gyms to keep active. She didn't want to-

Shinn places his hand over hers. Lunamaria isn't quite sure what she was just thinking about for a moment, but shakes her head.

"We should get back to work, you know. Rey comes home soon," she says. 

"Shh. He'll appreciate it even if he sees it. I'm tired."

He falls asleep on her shoulder. Lunamaria wishes for a shower more than anything else.

-

It takes three days to properly make the base of the window seat. Lunamaria treats Shinn's numerous injuries with 'I told you so's' and disbelief. Rey serves them drinks. He stops when he wants them to stop.

Rey makes dinner as Lunamaria showers.

-

It's noon by the time she wakes up. She throws off the sheets in sheer disbelief. They were going to buy pillows that morning and she had completely overslept. She pulls on a shirt and a skirt and skips down the flight of stairs.

Shinn is standing in the kitchen.

She slaps his back.

"Ow!" Shinn yells. He turns, glaring. "What was that for?"

"You didn't get me up! Now the whole day is ruined because you're a lazy asshole!" Lunamaria retorted. She crossed her arms in front of her.

"Well fine then! See if I ever let you sleep in ever again, Luna!"

"Good, I don't want to sleep in anymore anyway!"

"That didn't even make sense!"

The two glare at each other for a minute. Shinn takes his lunch and leaves the room, storming up the stairs.

Lunamaria walks into the living room where the window seat is covered in both pillows and Rey reading a book.

"He didn't," she whispered.

His smirk as she runs up the stairs after Shinn is practically audible. Lunamaria sees it for days.

-

They sit together on the windowseat and watch the sun set. It's silent and still, until Shinn reaches out again and takes her hand. Lunamaria pauses. A smile tugs on her lips. 

There is a large cracking sound and Shinn falls clean through the part of the seat that he sits on.

Lunamaria and Rey burst out laughing. Shinn starts to yell.


End file.
